Textile apparatus



Sept; 18, 1934. w. POOL 1,973,776

' TEXTILE APPARATUS Filed Feb. 8, 1933 wudo WMMM P 3 We.) W

Patented Sept. 18, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT; OFFICE signor to Celanese Corporation of America, a

corporation of Delaware ApplicationFebruary 8,1933, Serial No. 655,688

In Great Britain February 22, 1932 9 Claims. (01. l39:126)

This invention relates to looms, and in particular to looms having stationary weft supplies, that is supplies which do not pass through the shed, and in particular to such looms in which weft is drawn at a side of the loom into the form 'of a loop of a length suflicient to furnish two picks, the limbs of the loop being inserted in turn by means of a dummy shuttle or other device into separate sheds so as to form a 10 hairpin" of weft, the bight of the loop forming the selvedge of the fabric. In particular the invention consists in a continuation in part of U. S. application S. No. 580,616 filed 12th December, 1931 which eventuated into Pat. No. 1,925,336. 15 According to the prior specification, a loom of the above type is provided with a pair of trapping devices, a drawing member adapted to draw between said devices a loop sufiicient for two picks, and cutting means adapted .to cut the limb of the loop connected to the supply some distance from its trapping device on the side remote from the supply, the object of this arrangement.

being to enable different lengths of weft to be available on the two picks taken from each loop, while permitting the loops to be drawn with limbs of substantially equal length. In this way the trapping devices can be kept close together to make engagement of the weft by the drawing.

member quite certain, as well as to simplify the loop-forming mechanism. Two trapping devices are conveniently used, both devices being mounted on a member which rotates to bring them into position for loop drawing.

In the specific embodiment illustrated in the prior specification a single cutter is employed into engagement with which the limb of the weft loop is brought by the movement of the trapping device in which it is held, and the specification describes guard means adapted. to direct the near-by limb of a loop under formation (and also held by the same trapping device) away from the cutting device, and also a beak on one of the cutting blades which makes quite certain that such. limb cannot enter the cutting device.

when cutting takes place some distance from 'the trapping device, a free length of weft is left extending beyond the trapping device on the side remote from the supply, and it has found that where such weft is of high or fairly high twist, for. example when the weft consists of a crepe yarn or of spun yarn of natural or artificial fibres, especially when havinga hard twist, there is a tendency for the ,freelengthtocm-lundertheactionofthe twist and to bring the length into contact with the adjacent limb of the next weft loop under formation. This engagement may be such as to cause fouling of the threads and interruption of the loop forming and inserting operation.

According to the invention this difiiculty is overcome by the provision of a guard extending from the region of the cutting device towards the trapping devices, and adapted to keep the free length of weft extending from a trapping device separated from the length of weft in the loop being formed. Such guard conveniently comprises a sheet of metal or other material, for example cellulose acetate, so positioned that the weft length to be severed passes to one side of the sheet into engagement with the cutting device while the adjacent limb of the loop being formed passes to the otherside of the sheet. Such a guard may conveniently be connected to or form an extension of the guard described in U. S. Patent No. 1,925,336.;

Since the two lengths of thread are kept separate, the free end is able to twist without danger of fouling the-other thread. In order to prevent undue untwisting of the thread, the adjacent face of the guard and, if desired, of the guard described in the piiorspecification for preventing engagementtof the thread with the chain of the loop drawing device, may be covered with velvet or like material. 8

If desired similar guard means may be provided to keep the second limb of the loop after its severance from the supply separate from the loop being formed, though in practice there is relatively little danger of fouling between these 99 two threads, because the second limb is presented to weft inserting means and drawn into the shed almost simultaneously with its severance. Where such further guard means is provided, it and the adjacent chain guard may also, be covered with velvet or like material. Even when the weft being used does not give rise to any diilieulty by uncurling, use of such additional guard means as described above is of advantage in hindering whipping of the thread, particularly of the second loop limb during insertion into the warps, from causing fouling of the threads with themselves or with the mechanism of the loom.

The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawing, but it is to be understood that this description is given by way of example only and is in no respect limitative.

Fig. 1 is a plan and Figs. 2 and a elevation views showing the disposition of the apparatus according to the invention in a loom of the type described in U. S. Pat. No. 1,925,336;

Fig. 4 is' a detail of the preceding figures shown in larger scale; and

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic section of a detail of Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

Referring to Fig. 1, warp threads 11 are woven into fabric 12 by the insertion of weft threads picked across them alternately from each side of the loom by a dummy shuttle 13, conveniently of the type described in U. S. application S. No. 611,068 filed 13th May, 1932.

As explained in detail in U. S. application S. No. 580,616, weft thread is supplied from one of the stationary packages 14', 15 to one of a pair of trapping devices 16, 17 mounted upon rotatable discs 18, 19 disposed at each side of the warps 11, and is drawn therefrom into loops of length suflicient for two picks.

The limbs of the loops are presented in turn to a dummy shuttle 13 on each traverse through the warps 11 so that they are inserted in the warps alternately from each side of the loom into separate sheds and form inter-engaging hairpins of weft, the bightsof the loops forming the selvedge of the fabric as shown clear in Fig. 1.

. U. S. Pat. No. 1,925,336 explains that with this type of weft-measuring apparatus it is necessary to arrange that different lengths of weft are available for engagement by the dummy shuttle 13 on the first and second picks respectively, since in view of the position of the rotatable discs 18, 19 relative to the warps, the loop formation must necessarily take place at some distance from the edge of the warps, and consequently the first length to be engaged by the shuttle 13 from a loop must be equal to the width of the fabric 12 (i. .e. length of pick 20) plus approximately the distance (indicated at D on the right-hand side of Fig. 1) of the.

formed loop from the edge of the fabric, while the length of weft 21 to be taken from the loop for the second pick must be less than the length of the pick 20 by approximately the distance D.

The weft loops, however, are drawn with substantially equal lengths of limb by pegs 22 upstanding from endless moving chains 23 (Fig. 3), the paths of which are respectively so arranged relative to the discs 18, 19 and the trapping devices 16, 17 as to cause a peg 22 to pass between the trappers 16, 1'7 of one disc and to engage weft held on one trapper and extending across the disc. The right-hand side of Fig. 1 shows the peg 22 as having passed the disc 18, the weft running from the trapper 17in which it is held, round the peg 22 and back to the weft supply in the form of a loop. The rotation of the disc 18 (indicated by an arrow) brings a guide hook 25 comprising one of a similar pair 25, 25' into contact with the limb 26 of the loop and, as shown clearly in the drawing, the limb is forced outwardly and thereby rendered taut. Whilst the limb 26 is being forced outwardly from its normal path, the tension in the thread tends to resist such movement and urges the limb strongly against the hook 25. The horn 28 of the hook 25 'engages the thread and extends upwardly and backwardly as shown in Figure 4. The taut limb 26; therefore, takes the most direct path back to normal and runs up the horn28 from the point A (Fig. 4) at which it first engages it and then drops to the inside of the hook. Continued rotation of the disc 18 carries the hook 25 toward the warps 11, the hook thus being caused .to pull the length of thread 26 inwardly toward as to pass beneath a plate-like guard 30 (Figs.'

1-3 and 5) extending from a cutting device 31 to a point near the disc, where the thread is directed into the cutting device 31 with the assistance of a guard 32 upstanding from a chain-run guard 33 described in U. 8. Patent No. 1,925,336.

The two hooks 25, 25' are disposed on the disc 18 immediately in advance of the trapping devices 16, 1'7 respectively, the trapping device 16 being opened suiilciently to allow the thread 26 to enter between its jaws as the thread is drawn inwardly towards the warps by the hook 25. The thread is maintained straight across the jaws of the trapping device 16 by a peg 35 situated on the other side of the trapping device 16 from the hook 25. It will thus be seen that on rotation of the disc 18 the trapping device 16, and its associated hook 25 eventually take the place of the other trapping device 17-and its associated hook 25'. At the same time, the loop comprising the limbs 26, 2'7 is drawn to full length, the limb 26 finally occupying the place previously taken by the length 21.

As the length 21 is carried into the knife at the lower level caused by the hook 25 through which it passes, the adjacent trapper 17 is closed, so that the limb 27 of the loop 26 adjacent the length 21 is drawn nearer to the face of the disc 18 as shown in Fig. 3 and is carried by the continued rotation of the disc to the upper side of the guard 30 (see Fig. 5).

The limb 21 is thus severed short of the trapper 17 while the limb 27 of the loop 26 is kept clear of the knife. If desired the knife guard 32 may have a portion 37 above the knife to assist the guard 30 in elevating the limb 2'7.

As the limb 21 is cut, a tension finger 34 is released from the limb which is then freed for insertion into the warps by the shuttle 13. One such freed limb is'shown at 36 on the left-hand side of Fig. 1. The remainder of the limb 21 lies between the guards 30, 33 and so cannot foul the limb 27. In order to reduce the tendency of such free end to untwist, especially where the weft is of a highly-twisted character (e. g. crepe), fur or the like 38 may be secured on the inside of the guards 30, 33 to hold the weft so as to restrict this tendency.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. In a loom having a stationary weft supply from which successive measured lengths are drawn in loop form, trapping means adapted to hold one end of a weft loop, cutting means adapted to sever a length of weft held by said means, and guard means substantially surrounding the length of weft freed by such cutting means.

2. In a loom having a stationary weft supply from-which successive measured lengths are drawn in loop form, trapping means adapted to hold one end of a weft loop, cutting means adapted to sever a length of weft held by said means, said cutting means being spaced apart from said trapping means so as to leave a length of weft extending therefrom, and guard means substantially surrounding the free length of weft thus severed.

3. A loom comprising a stationary weft supply, trapping means adapted to hold weft drawn from said supply, drawing means adapted to draw from said trapping means successive loops of weft, cutting means adapted to cut the limb of a loop some distance on the side remote from the supply of the trapping means in which it is held, and guard means extending between said trapping means and said cutting means adapted to prevent the cut thread extending from the trapping means to the cutting means fouling thread in the next succeeding loop.

4. A loom comprising a stationary weft supply, trapping means adapted to hold weft drawn from said supply, drawing means adapted to draw from said trapping means successive loops of weft, cutting means adapted to out the limb of a loop some distance on the side remote from the supply of the trapping means in which it is held, means for guiding one loop limb clear of said cutting means, means for guiding the other limb to said cutting means, and guard means extendingv between said trapping means and said cutting means adapted to prevent the cut thread extending from the trapping means to the cutting means fouling thread in the next succeeding loop.

5. A loom comprising a stationary weft supply, movable trapping means adapted to hold weft drawn from said supply, drawing means adapted to engage weft held by the trapping means and to draw it into successive loops, cutting means spaced apart from the trapping means, guide means adapted to guide one limb of a weft loop clear of the cutting means, means in association with the movable trapping means for guiding the other limb to said cutting means, and guard means extending between said trapping means and said cutting means adapted to prevent the cut thread extending from the trapping means to the cutting means fouling thread in the next succeeding loop.

6. A loom comprising a stationary weft supply, movable trapping means adapted to hold weft drawn from said supply, drawing means adapted to engage weft held by the trapping means and to draw it into successive loops, cutting means spaced apart from the trapping means, a hook in association with said trapping means, said hook having an inclined horn adapted to engage one limb of a weft loop and to direct it to the cutting means, and guide means adapted to carry the other limb of the loop in the direction of the cutting means while guiding it clear thereof.

7. A loom comprising a stationary weft supply, movable trapping means adapted to hold weft drawn from said supply, drawing means adapted to engage weft held by the trapping means and to draw it into successive loops, cutting means spaced apart from the trapping means, a hook in association with said trapping means, said hook having an inclined horn adapted to engage one limb of a weft loop and to direct it to the cutting means, guide means adapted to carry the other limb of the loop in the direction of the cutting means while guiding it clear thereof, and guard means extending between said trapping means and said cutting means adapted to prevent the cut thread ping means to the cutting meansfouling thread in the next succeeding loop, and means on said guard adapted to resist untwisting of the free end of the thread.

9. In a loom having a stationary weft supply from which successive measured lengths are drawn in loop form, movable trapping means adapted to engage the weft and in combination therewith means to cut the limb of a loop at some distance from the trapping means in which 1 the limb is held and on the side thereof remote from the supply and means for carrying the limb of a loop being drawn at a different level from that of an adjacent loop limb to be cut so that the movement of the trapping means carries the two limbs by slightly different paths towards the cutting means, one limb passing into engagement with the cutting means and the other clear thereof.

WILLIAM POOL. 

